Tiger Stadium is stage for country music's best

Friday

May 27, 2011 at 4:27 PM

Performances start at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday inside the stadium.

CHEVEL JOHNSONThe Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Tailgating is a tradition at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, usually for LSU football games in the fall. This weekend, country music will be the main attraction for throngs of fans barbecuing outside before the Bayou Country Superfest.

The festival on Saturday and Sunday is the child of the creators of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, but with a country music theme. Last year's inaugural event drew more than 80,000 fans over Memorial Day weekend and it appears the festival could be on its way to becoming an annual tradition.

Festival producer Quint Davis said a larger crowd is expected this year as the festival becomes rooted in the area's culture and gains ground as a destination event, much like New Orleans' jazz festival.

"We had people tell us last year that it was not just the best country music concert, but one of the best concerts in their lives," said Davis, who also produces Jazz Fest.

Among this year's headliners are Louisiana natives Tim McGraw and Trace Adkins, as well as Sugarland and Kenny Chesney, who performed last year and enjoyed the experience so much, he decided to come back. The festival also spotlights fresh artists on the country music charts such as Luke Bryan, Josh Thompson, Lee Brice, Jason Michael Carroll, Billy Currington and the Zac Brown Band.

Performances start at 4 p.m. on each day inside the stadium. A free festival is staged around the stadium grounds starting at 11:30 a.m. each day with local artists like Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys and the Honey Island Swamp Band.

Davis said producers won't know if the festival is truly sustainable, however, for at least a couple of years.

"Can we maintain the underwriters and the sponsors? That's the question," he said. "A festival like this, like any other, can't make it on ticket and T-shirt sales alone."

Mayor-President Melvin "Kip" Holden said the event has been a boon for Louisiana's capital city.

"This festival has the potential to mirror the success of New Orleans' jazz festival," he said. "Before this event, it was a relatively dull weekend for the city. Hotels were booked maybe 10 to 20 percent. Now, that number is up to 50 to 70 percent. And it's not just Baton Rouge. We're booking out as far as Breaux Bridge."

Davis said the 2010 Superfest had a $33.5 million economic impact on the state, $12 million for Baton Rouge alone.

"There was a combination of factors working as one," he said. "It's held over a holiday weekend when we knew people would have a Monday to recover. We knew hotels had low occupancy rates and we were able to secure a great venue like Tiger Stadium. These were all building blocks toward getting the best country acts, that also draw mainstream crowds, and putting them together in one spot. We knew it could work in Baton Rouge even though a lot of people doubted it."

Holden said it has been a struggle to convince some city-parish officials that a small investment in the event will result in a big reward.

"I've been working to convince the council that for $300,000 we get $30 million in return. From my perspective it's a no-brainer," Holden said. "We expect it will be here again next year and for many years to come. To let this get away from us would be a big, big mistake."